Manic Webb

I'd like to think that if Batman were entirely insane, one of his many confidants would've confronted him about it. After all, who's going to keep Batman in check? Alfred, Dick, Tim, Babs, and Leslie. That's who. Leslie Thompkins was the first person to find Bruce after his parents' deaths, and Alfred was the man who raised him throughout his many years of training. I think that if Alfred didn't have faith in Bruce's ability to be Batman, he would've slapped some sense into him a long time ago-- preferably before Bruce was trained to slap him back. I think Alfred always knew what Bruce wanted to do, and I think he's always agreed. That's why he stood by him. Bruce is like his son, but Tom and Martha Wayne were his family, as well. I think, deep down, Alfred would've done the same thing had he the chance. But the other reason Alfred stands by Bruce is to help him keep sight of his (unreachable) goals. If Bruce should go off track and let the night take him over, Alfred is there to put a stop to it. And not just Alfred. Dr. Leslie Thompkins was the first person to find Bruce on the night his parents died. She's been a large moral factor for years. She's a strict pacifist, and that really plays such a large role in what Batman stands for. Batman is not a cold-blooded killer. Batman is a practical man. Although he trusts other heroes like Superman with his life, he's still willing to kill them if the need should arise. Their intentions are noble, but it'd be very easy for any of them to loose sight. And that's why he keeps Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl/Oracle around. They're the only ones capable of keeping him under control if he loses it. Batman doesn't entirely trust himself. That's why every alternate version of Bruce Wayne/Batman who has taken things too far has no Alfred present, and the Robins are sometimes different people (if there at all). Bruce is a hero, but he knows he's capable of going too far. A sociopath? Yeah, probably. But he's a sociopath who does what he can to keep himself in check.

Well, the reason Daria could never end up with Trent is because she's an exaggerrative realist. In the episode where Quinn tried to teach Daria how to fantasize, Daria imagined herself with a good job, and supporting Trent, who never got up off of the couch. In fact, the fantasy ended with Trent saying they never got married because he overslept on that day. Tom was better, but not much better. I'm sure no one ever imagined Daria stealing Jane's boyfriend, but it showed that Daria was clearly caught in a situation she couldn't control. She tried to hate Tom, but they just got along so much better than he got along with Jane. What disappointed me, however, was that Daria actually bothered to get in a relationship with him after he broke up with Jane. It made Daria look like a moral hypocrit, but it also showed us that she wasn't as perfect as she wanted the world to be. I was so happy when they broke up. If there was one thing Tom was good for, however, it was getting Daria to act. The first few seasons of the show were founded on Daria pointing out the faults of those around her, but never actually doing anything about it. She was always a spectator in a world gone wrong. Tom got her to actually confront the system and do something about it... even if it didn't work. One thing that always struck me about the show was its message that life isn't fair, and that there isn't always a lesson learned at the end of the episode. I remember the episode where Jane joined the track team. In the end, Daria and Jane realized they failed at turning around a corrupt athletic/academic system, and figured that it only proved that the school really was preparing them for the real world. A bitter-sweet victory, if a victory at all. The show wallowed in realism.

I'll have to ask you to discuss all anime in the Anime Lounge, not in Music, Movies TV. Moving thread...

HC already covered Musicology, so everyone can thank him for making my list one CD shorter. [center][img]http://dmoon.animationhq.net/teenamarie.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Album[/b] - La Dona [b]Artist[/b] - Teena Marie [b]Reason[/b] - Teena Marie is back, and she's signed with the Cash Money rap label. Yeah, I know, but before you pass this album up, I think you should give it a good listen. The album starts off with Teena coming out of retirement as a mob Dona. The next few tracks consist of Teena trying desperately to reach out today's youth with such songs as "Off the Chain," "Makavelli Never Lied," and "The Mackin' Game." After that, however, Teena reachs out to her old fans and young people alike with spoken-word poetry with Common, classic R&B stylings, the Blues, and a song with the late Rick James. It's these songs that highlight the CD and make it so great to listen to. It also proves that, if need be, Cash Money's producers can handle strict R&B melodies. [b]Tracks to Try[/b] - Hit Me Where I Live, Baby I'm Your Fiend, I'm Still in Love. -------------------- [center][img]http://dmoon.animationhq.net/stone.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Album[/b] - Stone Love [b]Artist[/b] - Angie Stone [b]Reason[/b] - As a young Neo-Soul artist, Angie Stone isn't afraid to tell it like it is, have some fun, and try to reach everybody in her music. Her vocal skills are incredible, and she doesn't try to engulf the ends of her songs with unnecessarily loud ad-libs-- even though she clearly can. Angie also isn't afraid to blend typical synch-music with real instruments. While you'd probably expect her album to wallow in heart-ache, it actually has a strong feeling of gratitude. There are also songs of tribute, contentment, fond memories, and just plain getting over 'it.' It's also spiced with a few spoken interludes where Angie describes her style, foreshadows coming songs, and just gives you half a minute of something to relax to. [b]Tracks to Try[/b] - I Wanna Thank Ya (w/ or w/o Snoop Dogg's rap. There are 2 versions), Stay For a While (w/ Anthony Hamilton), Remy Red, U-Haul. -------------------- [center][img]http://dmoon.animationhq.net/saadiq.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Album[/b] - ...as Ray Ray [b]Artist[/b] - Raphael Saadiq [b]Reason[/b] - You might remember Raphael Saadiq as the lead singer of Tony Toni Tone, or the male singer in Lucy Pearl. Well he's back-- but this time, it's personal. A tribute to 70's R&B and black exploitation films, 'as Ray Ray' is also filled with elements of today's R&B. The first track, "Blaxploitation," begins with a humorous opening that sounds like it came straight out of a movie trailer... "He couldn't leave well enough alone-- but damn, who could? Ray Ray had it all; fast cars, find vons; but it wasn't enough. So he's back..." From there, we're also treated with Ray Ray's theme song, and songs that use Raphael's patented non-formatted song arrangements. "I Know Shuggie Otis," while a good song, is a long, single, chorus-less verse that never mentions Shuggie Otis. The CD goes on to use lyrics about love and infatuation, but with his own humorous slant. His first single, "Rifle Love," explains how being in love is like being shot in the side by a rifle or automatic weapon. [b]Tracks to Try[/b] - Rifle Love (w/ Lucy Pearl and Tony Toni Tone), Live Without You, I Know Shuggie Otis, Chic. -------------------- [center][img]http://dmoon.animationhq.net/legend.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Album[/b] - Get Lifted [b]Artist[/b] - John Legend [b]Reason[/b] - I've never heard old school and today's R&B blended together this well before. John Legend delivers music with strong piano elements, classic melodies, and modern drums. Sometimes, however, it'll just be him on his piano. Even in songs that feature rappers like Snoop Dogg and Kanye West, you can listen to the music and hear that he was clearly influenced by an earlier decade. Possibly the only thing keeping this album from being displaced in time is his lyrical content. John Legend is an honest man who not only confesses to cheating on his girlfriend in a song, but has the audacity to beg her to stay because of the lengths he went through to keep her from finding out. In fact, the CD seems to tell a story as it goes on. It starts with him urging a woman to cheat, cheating, getting caught, and promising to change. The album finishes up with a tribute to his family, and a general feeling of ease. There are also a few kick-back tracks, like "Live It Up" and "Let's Get Lifted." [b]Tracks to Try[/b] - Let's Get Lifted, Number One, So High, It Don't Have to Change, Live It Up. -------------------- [center][img]http://dmoon.animationhq.net/encore.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Album[/b] - Encore [b]Artist[/b] - Eminem [b]Reason[/b] - While his first couple of albums were only controversial as a side-effect of Eminem having too much fun writing his songs, this album was specifically written to push everyone's buttons. Everything that made him fun to listen to 5 years ago is gone. Also, I wanted to copy HC's idea. [b]Tracks to Try[/b] - Oh, it's all bad.

I've always been on the fence when it comes to immigration (curse my political flip-floppiness). On one hand, anyone willing to risk everything (including their lives) to reach the United States must have a [i]damn good[/i] reason to do so. Life would have to be jacked up for someone to risk disease, starvation, dehydration, murder, rape, enslavement, prison, torture, and just overall death just to reach the US-- and that's only the journey here. The US used to make a big deal out of taking in the tired, weak, humbled masses. Heck, this entire country was founded by immigrants. European immigrants settled on the East coast, African immigrant/slaves kept early industry moving, more Europeans settled in the South, Asian immigrants built the railroad system, Americans migrated to (and eventually took over) the West coast, more Europeans during the boom after the civil war, ect. ect. ect. Everyone in this country is descended from an immigrant, except for Native Americans, and they make up one of the smallest minority groups. Besides, today's immigrants usually take menial jobs that keep the economy moving. But on the [b]other[/b] hand, we don't need an over-crowded country. Illegals have no regard for our immigration laws. Homelessness and hunger are already big enough issues without more homeless immigrants crossing over our borders. Even the entertainment visa that allows actors and musicians from other countries to live here is a little too loose. Oftentimes, a lot of immigrants come into the country with no special skills, and contribute nothing to the US. And let's not forget the risk of them smuggling over drugs, money, diseases, and anything else that could further disrupt our society. However, if there's one major problem I've seen with immigration issues in the US, it's that the government always targets the brown people. Canadians can hop and skip across the US/Canada border with no problem, but Mexicans have to crawl through sewage ducts. Asians have to go through hell getting to the US from over the Pacific, but Europeans can book a flight with no problem. When was the last time you heard of the INS busting an illegal Welshman?

It's funny. Just the other day, I was thinking about what I'd do with the pay advance a record executive would give me for recording an album (which is typically a cool million). I'll have to adjust my list slightly, as this situation won't require me to spend any money on a recording studio, promotions, or a production team. First, I'd invest $100,000 of it in stock. Good stock. I'd really like to get a small piece of Pixar, to tell the truth. Then I'd spend between $200,000 and $500,000 buying and furnishing a new house; preferably one that is [b]not[/b] on the beach or a hill with a very weak foundation. I live in California, and realtors love unloading that kind of property on people who don't realize their homes will eventually fall, slide, or drift out to sea. Speaking of which, I'd go into realty. I'd also spend $20,000 on a new car. I'd buy it all at once, so the monthly payments don't eventually add to a few thousand dollars more than what I originally started paying for. $80,000 would go to charity, specifically community centers that'll keep young people out of the streets. Considering the amount money that already gets donated to cancer and AIDS researchers every year, I seriously doubt they're trying [i]that[/i] hard, and I don't want to throw my money to yet another biologist who drives a Benz. I'd keep the remaining $300,000. I'd also maintain a steady job, because there's no way $300,000 is gonna last me until I'm 65 years old (where social security will kick in, assuming a certain President doesn't ruin it). --EDIT-- I want to add onto this thread, if I may. Imagine a filthy rich uncle of yours died recently. In their will, they gave you 2 options: 1) You get $30,000,000 2) A challenge. Spend $1,000,000 per day, every day for 30 days. You can't own anything you spend the money on, and you're not allowed to donate to charity or splurge it on gifts for your friends. If you've spent all of the money by the end of the 30 days, you'll get $300,000,000 (that's a whole 'nother 0, folks). However, you're not allowed to tell anyone why you're spending all of this money. Which would you pick? (Man, I love that movie)

[quote name='CaptainAnarchy']I would pay one million dollars to see Paris Hilton get lost in deep, rabid animal infested woods...it'd be funny to see such an anti-outdoorsy person try to battle the strife of the deep woods...[/quote] Conversely, I'd pay one million dollars to [i]not[/i] see Paris Hilton at all. I'd probably pay a million dollars for a house, seeing as that's how much they cost, these days.

[quote name='Drix D'Zanth']Did I miss the email from the NAACP claiming that it was ok for black people to call each other ?******??[/quote] You know, I missed that same email. [quote]And why is it suddenly an issue if I don?t refer to them as ?African Americans?? (yes, it is an issue to some people? like reporters, and liberals ;) )[/quote] That reminds me. You said "black people" in that last quote! Just kidding. Speaking as both a [moderate] liberal and a black guy, I don't like lecturing people on being called an African-American, and I don't like [i]being[/i] lectured on the subject. "African-American" is a mouth full (the longest ethnicity name I've ever said, I think), and I think it's a little ridiculous to say it [i]every single time[/i], especially when people say "white" more than they said "Caucasion." [quote]Want to know who my favorite African American is? Charlize Theron.[/quote] Actually, is she an American citizen? I always thought she stayed in American on the infamous entertainment visa.

Like Morpheus said, there's only one ethnic group in China, for the most part. When you live in an area with a limited ethnic spectrum, you won't have ethnic discrimination because, well, what other ethnicity is there? The United States is a country founded and supported by immigrants, so you can find every major ethnic group on Earth here. When that happens, you get some culture-clash, stereotypes form, and you're gonna get your typical discrimination problems. It's even worse for the smallest minority, because they have less of a voice. Up until recently, African-Americans were the largest minority (oxymoron, anyone?) in the US, so we worked for years (see: 1865-1965, give or take) to get the rights we deserved as American citizens. We and Latinos are the larger minorities, so issues of civil rights typically come back to us. Asians, on the other hand, are a scattered minority whose voice is rarely heard. That's why you can say "ch!nk" on television, but you can't say "n!gger." We, the public, rarely ever hear the voices of other minority groups. Thus, ethnic discrimination is probably more common with Asians. Everyone's afraid of offending the beaners and blackies, but it takes a lot more effort to stop labeling Asian groups. Of course, it doesn't help that Asians have some of the least negative ethnic stereotypes. They're, supposedly, the ones who are good at math, know how to fight, close to finding inner peace, and dry clean one hell of a t-shirt. See the "Average Asian" sketches on MadTV. He's stereotyped by everyone turning to him for help. So because Asians have this stereotype of "the helpful, wise masters of everything but the English language," people assume it's okay to hold onto those ideals, because it's not like you're seeing them as gang members or hollering alcoholics. It's still discriminatory, and it's still wrong.

Not only is your thread vague, but it creates no real discussion. It is spam. If you would like to talk about Inuyasha, I suggest you join one of the threads found in the Anime Lounge, where all anime discussions are to be held.

Well, I'm an interesting blend of Black and Blacker. :p Seriously, I consider myself African-American and Creole. For those of you who don't know, Creole is a term used to describe the descendants of the original French settlers in the Louisiana Territory-- what is now the Southern region of the United States. It's not to be confused with the similar group, Cajun, which consists of descendants of exiled French-Canadians who migrated to the Louisiana Territory much later. Creole is also (although rarely) used to describe the descendants of Spanish settlers in the same area.

While Adult Swim can be discussed in this forum, this thread belongs in the Anime Lounge. This subject might even fit into the Cartoon Network Line-Up thread, but I think that'll be Solo or Dagger's decision.

You know, it's funny. The miniseries and the first two episodes ("33" and "Water") were all filmed at the same time in 2003, and sat perfectly still until Sci-Fi picked it up as a full series. So when the cast reassembled in 2004 to film this week's new episode, "Bastille Day," they looked almost entirely different. What really caught my eye was how refreshed President Roslin looked, and the red highlights in her hair. This week's episode featured Richard Hatch (who played Apollo in the original series) as Tom Zarek, a political prisoner who sparked a prison riot that erupted into a hostage situation. This was an Apollo-centric episode (the new Apollo, not Hatch), where we got to see lots of action and the way Apollo thinks. From the beginning of the episode, we're presented the the idea of choosing sides, which Apollo doesn't quite understand. Throughout the episode, the theme keeps coming up until Apollo finally makes a decision. Meanwhile, we get a look at Starbuck's sense of humor, how she keeps up morale, her l33t sniping skillz(!!11), and her tense friend-enemy relationship with Colonel Tigh. Just when you think they're close to making peace with one another, one of them purposely tries to ruin the moment. Good stuff.

It should almost go without saying, but I'm saying it anyway. Michael Jackson has made some of my all-time favorite music videos. [b]Thriller[/b] One of the longest music videos of all time, and just fun at watch on Halloween. The dance of the zombies is one of the few choreographed dances that anyone of any age can identify. Vincent Price is The Man. And who could forget Michael with the zombie-face? A preview of things to come, I assure you. [b]Billie-Jean[/b] The glowing side-walk slabs. 'Nuff said. [b]Smooth Criminal[/b] Come on. He shot half the people in the room without using a gun. Who else can get away with that? And who isn't familiar with [b]the lean[/b]? The massive groping scene half-way through the video made this complete. [b]Remember the Time[/b] Sand. [b]Scream[/b] One of the most expensive music videos of all-time. The set was huge and the special effects costed a grip. The only reason few (if any) videos have surpassed this one in price is because the special effects have gotten less expensive to make. It also had Janet, who I was completely in love with when her music was good. Jeeze, have you heard Damita Jo? Moving away from the Jackson family... Now, I was never a fan of the Backstreet Boys, but I loved the video for [b]The Call[/b]. When I saw that video, my initial reaction was "holy [censorship]! Did they just get shot?!" I can't walk away from this thread without mentioning [b]Virtual Insanity[/b] by Jamaroquoi. There's nothing more fun than moving walls. His crazy hat only helped make the video more memorable, in my opinion. Then there's the weird blood on the floor, and those roaches. The video made absolutely no sense, and that's what was so insane... virtually.

Just the other day, I read the first volume of [i]Ultimate Elektra[/i]. I was happy they started this book where [i]Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra[/i] left off, because I was honestly was in need of some closure. One day, I'm reading UDD&E, then the next Elektra appears in [i]Ultimate Spider-Man[/i] as a hired mercenary. This book finally shows us how she ended up in the crime world. Although, I have to admit, I had to pause while reading in order to back-track on the paper trail, good guys, bad guys, and the less guilty bad guys. I get a little lost when I'm dealing with a mob story where everyone is essentially a criminal. I recently picked up the first paperback volume of [i]Cable & Deadpool[/i]. I love it when you're dealing with masked comic book heroes/anti-heroes, and the book is packed with nothing but back-to-back jokes. First page, and we've already got an Olsen Twins joke. The story itself is also compelling, as we're dealing with Cable's "Jesus complex" that he's no doubt had to deal with since he was younger. My local Borders stopped carrying [i]Runaways[/i], so I might have to have a few words with them about that. In other words, I'll see if I can order it.

Here's the second chapter. Just a warning: this short story is going to be a tad longer than I anticipated. [b][size=3]Chapter 2 - Bliss[/size][/b] [size=1] It's more than revenge. It's about justice. His name was Rigger, and Midori Matsuo never wanted him to see the light of day ever again. Her plan was very simple, although very hands-on. She was to find him, incapacitate him, and call the police. In her mind, it was what was needed to get her cousin's murderer sent away; but hers was a plan of rage, not sensibility. For one week, she waited and searched the alleys and streets around her late cousin's neighborhood. One night, she found him. He was holding a small dog and standing in front of a pet store that had just closed. He pretended to knock, faking the role of a returning customer. As a teenager approached him, Midori stood nearby listening in. "Excuse me," the teenager said, "but the store is closed." "That's a shame. I wanted to return this pet food vitamin stuff they sold me." Rigger reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of the drug bliss. "It disagrees with my dog's system." "My dog uses the same vitamins. If it's not too much trouble, I could buy them from you." The exchange was made. The teenager opened the bottle, looked inside, and a look of satisfaction came across his face. "A friend of mine uses the same dog vitamins. Do you think this store still has them in stock?" "No, but I know a convenience store not too far from here that sells better pet food for cheap." The two parted ways for the night, unaware they were being watched. The next night, Midori departed her job and went shopping for new clothes: black leather pants, a black tank top, a mesh top, boots, and a long jacket trimmed with a faux-fur collar. She put them on that night, complimented with a spiky hairstyle. Knowing the closest store to the pet shop that would be closed that night, Midori arrived, waiting for the man known as Rigger to show up. She was prepared, as her long jacket concealed a small metal pipe. She didn't buy it specifically for the purpose of confronting Rigger, however, as she happened to be an ept amateur plumber who replaced this pipe with a new one under her kitchen sink. "Who're you?" Midori turned around to see Rigger standing before her. He was much shorter than she imagined, and much less imposing. He didn't even look very smart. "My friend sent me," she responded. "He said this was the store to go to for good, cheap food... for my cat." She turned toward the store, pretending to look inside for the owner. "It looks like they're closed, though. Do you work here?" Rigger looked up and down at her. She was attractive. As far as he knew, she was just some kid on her way to a rave. He turned slightly and checked his surroundings for the police. It was clear, but that was no reason to be less cautious. "Yeah, I know the owner. I think he might still be in. Come around the back of the building, and I'll see if I can help you out." He led her around the side of the small building and to the very narrow alley behind it. Rigger reached into his pocket for a bottle of bliss. He didn't take it out, however, as he was waiting to see the money. "Got yen, kid?" "I think so..." She reached into her jacket and grabbed the steel pipe. Her grip tightened. She said one last thing as she took a deep breath. "...but I'd rather give you this!" Midori let free a fierce ki-ai that would otherwise startle her opponent into an unprotected state of mind. Rigger, however, had a gun. He caught the pipe with the opposite hand of his attacker, pulling a gun with his other. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't splash your brains against the wall right here." "I'll give you four," a mysterious voice said from behind Midori. When she and Rigger checked to see who it was, four crows flew toward Rigger, eventually surrounding his face and squawking in his ear. While he was distracted, the mysterious stranger grabbed Midori by the hand. They swiftly ran from Rigger, using the crows to distract him. The crows eventually departed, however, and Rigger chased down the two attackers. Running out of options, and fearing Rigger would find them, Midori and the stranger ran into a nearby rave and began to blend in. With the excitement of the chase over, Midori and the stranger stopped to get a good look at one another. "Thank you," Midori shouted over the music, "whoever you are." "Warner," he replied. "I'm Warner Blake, but just call me Warner." "I hardly know you--" "Don't worry about it, miss...?" "Matsuo." Despite the music, the moment became awkwardly silent. After a few minutes, Midori looked at Warner, the door, and back at Warner. "I think it's safe, now. He's probably stopped looking for us." They left the party, which was fine for Warner, as he wasn't a person who enjoyed going to many social gatherings. They began to walk down the street together, heading toward the train station. "I want to thank you, again. You saved my life." "It was nothing" "You're not from around here," Midori asked with a curious smile, "are you?" "No," Warner laughed. "I guess the English was a give away. I'm from Australia." "Oh. I hear it's a very lovely country." "Thanks. It is. Listen, I--" "How did you do it?" she asked. "Do what?" "The crows. You sent the flock of crows to distract him, didn't you?" "No, it was a murder," Warner corrected. A look of fear came across Midori's face. "A flock of crows is called a murder. It's one of those strange names they give bird groups, like a gaggle of geese, or an unkindness of ravens." "Raven flocks are called unkindnesses?" "Yeah. I think buzzards are called wakes, too." "That's weird." "Really weird." "Still doesn't answer my question, though." They shared a brief laugh, which settled by the time Warner was ready to give his answer. "Really, I just have a way with animals." As Warner looked into the clear night sky, he felt his hand leave his side and become held in Midori's grasp. "Thanks, again. I have to go, though." Midori began to slowly walk away, but Warner put his hand on her shoulder to slow her down. "Wait, listen! I-- that is, if you need anything... You look like you could use some help." "It's not your concern, Warner." "I disagree." He paused for a moment as Midori gave him a curious look. "I just-- you won't believe why-- I saw you in a dream." "Excuse me?" "A dream. I saw you in a dream, and I was led to you." Warner took his hand off of Midori's shoulder, and stepped back a little. She took a good look at him, noticing his somewhat darker skin complexion. "Is this one of those dream time things? I read about the Aboriginal belief system when I was in school, and--" "No," Warner laughed nervously. "I don't know much about the dream time or my mom's culture. She and my dad passed when I was very young. I was raised by my Scottish grandfather." "Oh. I'm sorry." "It?s alright." Warner looked down at his hands, contemplating the significance of his ring's powers. "I think there might be some kind of connection between us." "I understand, now." Midori walked away, believing Warner was attempting to pick her up. "It's nice that you saved my life, but that doesn't mean I'll do whatever you say just because you're a mysterious foreigner." "No!" Warner ran to catch up to her, holding his ring out for her to see. "That's not what I meant. It's this! This ring! It has this-- I can-- let me show you. Heart." A wave of emotional energy pulsed through the ring, calling forth stray cats that gathered around Warner's feet. "H-h-how?! How?" "It's my ring," he said. "I just found it one day, but it has this weird power. I know it looks like something you can find in a box of cereal, but it's how I found you. It's what I'll probably need to find [i]them[/i]." She looked into his eyes, searching for sincerity. She believed him, and more importantly, she recognized his ring. "Come with me." "So," Midori began, "what exactly can this ring of yours do?" She handed him a cup of tea as she sat across from him at her table. They were in her apartment. Warner adjusted his sitting position several times, not being used to sitting on the floor. "Well, it sorta lets me communicate with animals." "Is that how you made the crows attack Rigger?" "Yes, but I didn't really force them to do it. I can let animals know what I need, and they sorta decide whether or not they'll help me." "So those crows could have refused to help you save my life?" "The guy [i]did[/i] have a gun." "Can it do anything else?" "It lets me feel the emotions of other people, if I want. It also led me to you." "How?" "I don't know. When I first put it on and said 'heart,' it showed me pictures of you and three other people. Your picture was the last one I saw, so I remembered it clearer. You were standing on top Mount Fuji. I could tell, because I've seen pictures of it." "I've never been to Mount Fuji." "I figured as much, but it led me to Japan." "I have the same ring." "You do?!" Warner stood up in excitement. "Maybe it has the answers I need." "Could be," Midori said as she stood up and began to look through a small bowl in the kitchen. It was the bowl she kept her spare keys and trinkets in. "Maybe you were just sent here to find the ring. It's obvious I don't know what you're talking about." She found the ring and held it up. "Here it is. Funniest thing. I found it in the ground near my cousin's boarding house. I thought it belonged to the little girl who lived there." Warner walked toward her and began to examine the ring. She put it in his hand to help him look closer at it. "I doubt it," he said. "--being sent to find the ring, that is. If I only needed to find your ring, why would I get a vision of you?" "Because I was the person keeping the ring." "But I found you while you're life was in danger. Normally, I'd pass that off as a coincidence, but I have a ring that lets me talk to animals, so I'm guessing fate plays a role." He handed the ring back to her. "Plus I think my ring would've lured me to your apartment, if this is where the ring was the whole time." "Is there something wrong with it?" "I don't know." Warner scratched his head. "I wasn't getting the same jittery feeling I got when I put my ring on. Besides, I need you to tell me what that looks like in the center." Midori slowly held her hand out, intending for Warner to put the ring on her finger. He gently held her hand, sliding the ring onto the appropriate finger. Midori turned the ring upward, looking inside the center. "It looks like the Earth." With those words, a small tremor began to shake the apartment building. Shocked, Midori dropped the ring and took several paces back. "I caused that! I know I did! I felt it! That ring isn't right." Warner kneeled down, picked up the ring, and put it on his finger. "Earth." Nothing happened. "I was afraid of this." "What? Afraid of what?" "I can't use your ring. I think you're the only one who can use it." "Well I guess that ring just won't be used. Who would make a ring that causes earthquakes?" "You're right." Warner sat down, giving an expression of both curiosity and fear. "Who created these things? Why do we have them? I don't know anything about these rings, and neither do you." "Do you think none of the people in your vision know?" "One of them has to know. If not them, then the answer has to come eventually." "So you're saying we have to find them all?" "We?" he asked. "Yes," she replied. "We. You don't just save a girl's life, tell her she has a magic ring that causes quakes, speculate about a higher power, and then just walk away. Somebody gave me this ring, and I intend to find out why." "So you're going with me to find the next person in my vision?" "You saved my life. Going with you is the least I can do." She held his hand, slipping her ring back into her palm. She looked curiously into the ring, but she didn't intend to put it on. "What's our next destination?" "Over the ocean, I guess. I'm getting vibes from the East, and it feels pretty far. It might go over the international date line. I'll see if I can get a closer reading. Heart" Warner didn't envision a person's image, this time. Instead, he saw a body of land toward the horizon at the end of a large ocean. "I'm getting some sort of location. I know it's land, but that's all I can see." "Well where on Earth--" Realizing she had said the word the empowers her ring, Midori went silent and placed her hands over her mouth. She then noticed her ring was glowing, but there were no tremors. "My ring's doing something weird. Look." She held her hand closer to Warner, causing a wave of energy to leave her ring and enter his. She then began to share in his vision, which became much clearer. The horizon became lower, as the line of sight in the vision became much higher. They were rising, as if looking through the eyes of a bird or space shuttle. They could see the entire planet, as if from space. "I can see a-- I think our rings are doing something together." "Is it going to show me the person I was just looking fo--?" The vision brought them closer to the ground, giving them the sensation of falling at an incredible speed. They looked down to see North America. They flew over the continent, going farther and farther north. "Well, I think I know where we're going." Kesler sat in his brother's hospital room. He leaned his folded arms on the rail along the side of the bed, waiting for him to wake up. However, Whistler was not going to wake up. He was in a coma. "I swear," he said to his sleeping brother, "this guy's going away for a long time when the trial starts." Just then, the doctor walked into the room and stood silently behind Kesler. Kesler saw his shadow, and looked behind him. "What's the news?" "Well," the doctor said, "he'll survive the stomach wound just fine. If he were awake, I'd just suggest he try not to move too much unless he were in therapy. However--" "The coma?" "Your brother hit his head hard when he fell down. I don't need to tell you how that's affecting his recovery, but there's more. Did you know Whistler to ever use drugs?" "What? No!" "We found traces of a bliss in his system. Using too much of it causes permanent damage to brain activity. I think the bliss might have had a strong hand in your brother's coma." "But--" Kesler began to choke up. He wiped the tears from his eyes, stumbled out of his chair, and ran down the hospital stairs to the lobby. Once he was outside, he stopped to take a breath. Not willing to go back to the hospital, Kesler began to walk back to his apartment. In downtown Vancouver, Midori and Warner were walking and searching for a place to rest and eat. Warner was reading a brochure filled with interesting facts about the city. "Hey," Warner said while walking and still reading the brochure, "did you know Jackie Chan's [i]Rumble in the Bronx[/i] was actually filmed here?" "Why didn't they just film it in New York?" Midori asked. "Apparently, filming here is a lot cheaper. In fact, most American movies that take place in New York are filmed in Vancouver with stock footage of the New York skyline and Time Square edited in. Same with Seattle. The movies have been lying to us." "Hm. I'll have to remember to tour British Columbia more thoroughly the next time I leave the country." Midori looked up and saw a sign belonging to a popular franchise of cafés. "We've passed by at least three of these coffee places since we arrived in this city. Maybe we should just stop and eat here." "Works for me." The two sat in the café and drank tea. The whole time, Midori switched between looking out the window and staring at Warner. Warner noticed, and began to feel nervous and self conscious. "What?" "Nothing." Midori quickly looked down at the table. "I just-- I want to know. How do you know what to do? You seem very sure that you need to find the other people in your vision." "I don't know. I think it's the ring." Warner also began to look down at the table. "I just feel like I have to find these other people." "I see." Midori took a sip of her tea and looked up at Warner again. "What do you do?" "Pardon?" "With your life, I mean. What do you do when you're not getting strange visions from magic rings?" "I used to take family pictures at a local chain of studios. I also took a few college courses on photography, but I had to drop out because I couldn't afford the tuition. I decided to stick with my job, save my money, and go back to school later. I was out practicing when I found my ring." "Oh," Midori said. "What about you, Matsuo?" "I'm a cashier at a small café. I originally got the job to pay for rent, until something better comes along. By the way, it's Midori." "Pardon?" "You've been calling me Matsuo this whole time. I appreciate the formality, but you don't have to keep it up." "Oh. Listen, I--" Before Warner could finish his sentence, he felt a pulse of energy coming from his ring. He looked down to see it glowing. "The next guy!" "What?" "My ring! The next person is nearby! They must've just passed by, or something." Warner put his cup down and stumbled out of his seat. "I'll go get some lids for our tea." Kesler walked into his apartment, and closed the door behind him. Just before he had the chance to sit down, there was a knock on his door. "Hold on. I'm coming." He opened the door to see a man and woman on the other end. It was Warner and Midori. "Can I help you?" "What do you know about a ring?" Midori asked him. "I'm sorry--" he responded, "a ring?" "Yes," she proceeded, "A ring. Small, rounded top, fits on your finger." "Who are you people?" Kesler asked. He began to slowly step back. "Are you sure you've got the right place?" Midori asked Warner. "Um, yeah. Pretty sure." Warner began to scan the apartment for other people. Kesler quickly backed up and picked up the phone. "Who are you?" he demanded. "I swear I'll call the police!" "No!" Midori shouted. "We're not hear to hurt you!" Warner looked toward the kitchen to see the ring sitting on the counter top. "That," Warner said as he pointed to the ring. "That ring. That's what we're looking for." Kesler, still holding the phone, walked to the kitchen and picked the ring up. "This ring?" he asked. "Yeah," Warner answered. "That one. We were--" "Well you can have it back!" Kesler threw the ring at Warner, who failed to catch it as it hit the floor. "I didn't steal it! I didn't know it was yours!" "No! No!" Warner knelt down and picked the ring up. "We're looking for the ring's owner," Midori added. "I-- I jus-- I just found it." Warner had his other hand out, as if signaling them to stop from across the room. "It fell out of nowhere and hit me on the head, alright?" "No, look..." Warner held his hand up and showed Kesler his own ring. "My name is Warner. This is Midori." "We're not hear to hurt you," Midori added. "This will sound unbelievable, but Warner found a magical ring while taking a guided tour through the outback. The ring gave him this strange vision that led him to me in Japan, where I had a ring exactly like his, only it causes earthquakes. Now it's led us to you, because you're the person who found the third ring; and we think at least one of the other two people in Warner's dream have the answers to where these rings came from." After an awkward pause, Kesler finally spoke up. "You're both nuts." He began to dial his phone. "I'm calling the police, so I suggest you leave right now." "Heart!" A pulse of energy flowed from Warner's ring as he began to look into Kesler's emotions. "You're scared. Something terrible happened to someone close to you, and you're both afraid and scared for your own life." Startled, Kesler stopped dialing. "You don't know me!" he shouted. "Anybody could figure that--" "Now you're afraid I'm right." There was another moment of silence in the room. During this time, Midori reached into her pocket and took out her own ring. She placed it on her finger and decided to use its power to prove to Kesler that her story was real. "Earth." The building began to shake for a few seconds. Midori held her hand up high, to show Kesler that her ring was glowing the whole time. "Who [i]are[/i] you people?" "We don't know," Warner responded. He tossed Kesler's ring back to him. "That's why we're here."[/size]

[quote name='AnonymousSource']Plus he died taking a ton of officers with him - he's heroic![/quote] Actually, you have a point. Mouse contributed more to the story than any other crew member of Morpheus' ship, with the exception of Morpheus, Trinity, Neo, possibly Tank, and (although in an entirely different way) Cypher. Mouse's comment on the food and tasty wheats led gave us an insight into how the matrix works. Nobody tastes anything. They only believe they taste it because of electric signals sent to the brain that give the sensation of taste. And yah, that's why everything tastes like Chicken. That, like the spoon kid, helped Neo perceive the matrix as being less real. If you don't taste anything, who's to say you feel anything at all? Also, when Cypher betrayed them, Mouse took out several of their potential captors. The deaths of Switch, Apoc, and Dozer only helped to prove how ruthless Cypher was. Mouse's death, on the other hand, accomplished something. Nevertheless, I'm going with the Spoon Boy for reasons others have stated before me.

I saw the miniseries earlier this week, and just finished seeing the first episode, "33." This series looks like it'll be filled with strong, addictive, medicinally legal, Columbian pure drama. I tried watching the reruns the Sci-Fi channel was airing of the original series, but I could never get into it. It just wasn't appealing to me at all. This new series, on the other hand, looks like it's achieving its goal. It's drawing in new fans, and reimagining an epic story that never had the chance to really take off. As I understand it, they made [i]quite[/i] a few changes to the story and cast. I think Boomer and Starbuck (I crave a frapp everytime I hear that name) were originally men, and the Cylons weren't created by humans. I can only imagine that this ticks off quite a few fans of the original series. Many of which, mind you, have to be at least 30 years old by now.

[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b] Back when I used to do mall surveys, I saw quite a few kids get separated from their parents. However, it was usually just a case of a kid getting distracted by something and stopping while their parents kept walking. I always looked around to see if their parents were nearby, and they always were. If the parents were nowhere to be found, however, I'd walk into a nearby store and tell them to call security for a lost child. I wouldn't approach the toddler, however, since I don't want to risk anyone thinking I'm kidnapping anyone. [b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b] I'd walk to the car and ask if anyone has called 911. If not, I'd call them, myself. After that, I couldn't really do anything. I'm not trained in any sort of first aid, EMT, or anything that could really help them out. I know enough that I should attempt anything that could possibly cause more injury. [b]Person drowning.[/b] I take to the water like a duck. And by that, I mean I like to tread water on the surface. I don't know how to rescue a drowning victim (I never got that far in my lessons), so I'd either look for something they could grab onto (rope, a branch, oar, or a vine if I happen to be in a rainforest), or call for help, or both. [b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b] I'd step aside so they don't run into me. Then I'd look behind them to see if they're running from something dangerous (another angry person, gunfire, alien invasion, volcano in towndown Los Angeles, ect.) [b]Injured animal.[/b] Seeing as there's nothing I could really do for the animal (I have no experience in dealing with animals), I'd probably either walk away or 411 the animals services to come get it. Also, I'd have to keep in mind that touching the animal could cause it to lash out at me.

Ooh, a New Mutants spin-off movie would be good. We could see some of the student at Xavier's school do their own thing. Use Colossus' little sister Magik, and we could be talking [i]Inferno[/i]. I want to see a Dr. Strange movie. Doc Strange has always been an intriguing character, and I think he could pull off his own movie just fine. Speaking as someone who thinks Ryan Reynolds could do [i]much[/i] better than the Blade series, I'd like to see him either pull off that crazed, wacky mercenary, Deadpool; or that crazed, wacky speedster, Flash.

If you have a question about Gundam Seed, I suggest you ask it in the Gundam thread in the Anime Lounge.

My first name is Kevin, so I got the usual nicknames from that: Kev, Kevikev, Kevo. My last name, on the other hand, is actually Webb. And before you ask, no, Manic is not a description. It's dedicated to Sonic's brother, Manic the hedgehog from the cartoon [i]Sonic Underground[/i]. But I digress. When I first started high school, one of my classes had another Kevin in it. I told the teacher to just call me Webb, so we wouldn't get confused. This worked out fine, until the next semester when the other Kevin got transfered to a new class, and I realized the entire class thought my first name was Webb. It took me [i]months[/i] to convince them all that my real name was Kevin. I also had a WebTV (now called MSNTV) from 1998 to 2000, so my friends got to calling me Kevin WebTV. When Disney premiered the cartoon [i]Proud Family[/i], I almost changed my screen names to Sticky, after the character Sticky Webb. I eventually decided against it, though. It's impossible to find Sticky avatars.

I took 2 years of Spanish in high school. I've forgotten most of it, however. I'm a little disappointed in how much I forgot, as my Spanish II teacher had us writing essays and translating song lyrics. I can still remember a few basic words, though. I can't hear the spoken language to save my life, but I can still read through it... barely. It makes watching Spanish soap operas awkward, though, as I always have to turn on the Closed Caption. [quote name='Panda']My parents will speak to me in Japanese and I end up answering them in english![/quote] I have a friend born in the Philippines who moved to the US when he was about 9 or 10 years old. He's nearly forgotten how to speak his first language, but he understands it perfectly. So whenever I go over to his house, I always hear his parents speaking their language, and he and his siblings reply only in English. I can't for the life of me remember which language they speak, though. It's similar to Tagalog, but has a strong Spanish influence. You can tell whenever they tell the time.

Those Burger King office commercials always got to me. It's the first time I've ever thought a series of commercials should be turned into a full TV series. But then I remembered [i]The Office[/i]. The one where Amarosa (from [i]The Apprentice[/i]) shows up is one of the funniest. She didn't win the contest (in fact, I don't think anyone knows who won), but she's riding this "15 minutes of fame" thing as far as it'll take her. She's like the William Hung of The Apprentice, only she doesn't entirely suck. There's this commercial I've only seen once, but it was the funniest thing I've ever seen. You know those shampoo commercials where a couple of women complain about how their hair has no body/sheen? Then the bottle of shampoo flashes across the screen, and their hair is bouncy and wavy? I saw the exact same commercial with Hanna-Barbera characters. Wilma Flintstone, Jane Jetson, and Velma Dinkley were complaining about how their hair feels still and unmoving (because animators never animated hair movement on them). The shampoo flys by the screen, and suddenly the animation is in higher quality, and their hair moving with every turn of their heads. To this day, I'm not entirely sure if that was a real commercial or a promo on either Cartoon Network or Boomerang.

I like the idea of Johnny Depp playing Willy Wonka. Even Gene Wilder's portrayal in the old movie was pretty creepy, when you get right down to it. In fact, if those Oompa-Loompas and Wonka himself didn't stop to sing every 2 minutes, that would be one incredibly scary movie. I mean, every kid in that story nearly dies. So I'm really looking forward to this movie. Tim Burton is really good at what he does, and I have a feeling this will be a movie people of all ages will see. Still, I can already hear the "it's not like the old movie" complaints coming from over the horizon.